1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically, to an integrated circuit memory having dynamically adjustable read margin and method therefor.
2. Related Art
Reducing power consumption is a continuing desire in integrated circuits. One way of reducing power consumption is by reducing the power supply voltage. However, there is a limit on how low the power supply voltage can be reduced for reliable operation for a given circuit. A static random access memory (SRAM) is a type of memory that is generally used in applications requiring high speed, such as a memory in a data processing system. An SRAM cell is only stable in one of two possible voltage levels and is read by sensing a relatively low differential voltage on a pair of bit lines. A sense amplifier is used to sense and amplify the differential voltage. The sense amplifier is expected to be able to operate reliably over a wide voltage range, and yet be fast enough so that the performance advantage of the SRAM is maintained. However, the sense margin of the sense amplifier is reduced as the power supply voltage is reduced.
Therefore, there is a need for a reliable memory with good performance over a wide range of power supply voltage levels.